Improvement in wire-fence barbs



C. H. BAKER 8v P. L. BBSTOR.

Wire-Fence Barb.

No. 208,140. Patented Sepf`.1'i.1878.,l

N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTHUGRFHE, WASMLNGTQN. Dv C UNITED STATES PATENTOEEIGE.

CHARLES H. BAKER AND FRANCIS L. BESTOR, CF KNCXVILLE, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WIREf-FENC BARBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,140, datedSeptember' 17,1878; application filed June 18, 1878.

Tov all 'whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES; H. BAKER and FRANCIS L. BEsToR, both ofKnoxville, in the county of Marion and State of Iowa, have invented anew and Improved Wire Fence Barb; and we do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

Our invention relates to the Ymode of constructing wire-fence barbs andto the application of the same to the strands of twisted-wire fences,for the purpose of deterring cattle from breaking through the fences orfrom otherwise damaging the same by throwing their Weights against it;and it is our object to produce a barb which will form a strong knotwith the wire strands without damaging or weakening the same, and insuch a manner that it will resist lateral strain, and will prevent thestrands from untwistin g in case that one of these strands should getbroken.

Our invention therein consists in applying a wire barb to a two-strandfence-wire by bending the wire at or near its center around bothstrands, then passing both ends of the Wire through in the samedirection between the strands, and then bending such ends outwardly inopposite directions and on line with each other.

Figure l represents a front perspective view, and Fig. 2 a rearperspective view, of our iinproved barb, shown as applied to atwo-strandfence-wire.

A is the fence wire, and B the barb. In forming our improved barbs, thewire is cut diagonally to the desired lengths, so as to have pointed orsharp ends. This wire is rst doubled up, so as to form a loop forembracing both fence-wire strands, and thence both ends are bentlaterally in one and the same direction and passed through between thetwo strands at one and the same point, whence they are extended inopposite directions to be on a straight line with each other, wherebythe barbwire will coil once around each fence-wire independently of itsloop, clasping both wires together, thus forming a strong knot, whichwill resist lateral strain and will hold the barbs rectangularly withthe line ofthe fence-wires, while at the same time it will preventuntwis ting of the same in case one of its strands should get broken.

These barbs can be formed either while attaching the same to a fencealready in position or they may be formed by suitable tools or machineryupon the fence-wires in manufacturing before the same are twisted.

We are aware that many devices for forming wire barbs have been patentedbefore, which, however, we do not believe to give the same advantages asthe one we have above described, since they either did not so rigidlyobtain a hold to the fence-wires, and therefore did not resist lateralstrain so well, or else where such had been provided against it wasaccomplished by bending or oti'setting the fence-wires at every placewhere a barb had to be attached, and thereby were more or less damagedor weakened.

What we claim as our invention is- The combination, with the two-strandfelicewire A, of the wire barb B, bent at or near its center around bothstrands of the wire, then having both ends passed through in the samedirection between said strands and bent outwardly in opposite directionson line with each other, substantially as described and shown.

CHARLES H. BAKER. FRANCIS L. BESTCR.

Witnesses WM. H. H. SEARS, A. R. Moss.

